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Friday, June 1, 2012

On
Wednesday, May 23rd, over 1,100 people—mostly of the unwashed indie
persuasion—gathered in the main room of the The Observatory concert theater in
Santa Ana with iPhones and modest recording devices in hand, hoping to catch
the many faces of Devendra Banhart during his solo performance. Despite the overwhelming size of the
venue, the charismatic artist charmed his massive audience into a quiet
submission, rolling round Spanish syllables back and forth in conversation with
his biggest fans lining the front of the stage, causing the audience to feel a
personal and intimate connection with the folk singer throughout the
night.

Setting in slowly, with Noah
Georgeson (guitar) and Brent Dunn (bass) by his side sitting on stools,
Devendra chose the angelic composition, “Brindo,” to commence the evening. With this choice, he called for full
attention from his admirers in the most delicate manner. Spicing things up a touch in the next
bit, Banhart showed the true talent of his clean vocals during his piece, “Hey
Mama Wolf,” undulating each chorus with a slight trill that is difficult to
master. The next song was
dedicated to Jerry, a fan he met that afternoon at the grocery store, and his
girlfriend. There were no
complaints from the concert hall as the threesome began to gently play,
“Baby.” The crowd showed their
approval as they sang the final lyrics along with their entertainer, “Because
you showed me/ a sunset overflowing/ but who cares where it’s going/ as long as
you’re next to me.”

As the night continued, Banhart and
his companions unleashed five new tracks yet to be released to the public, as
well as old favorites like “The Body Breaks,” “At the Hop,” “Carmensita,” and
“Little Yellow Spider.” At times
during the performance, Banhart’s accompaniment left him to his self, his
solitary vocals, and the beautiful tones oscillating from his electric
Gibson. To imagine capturing the
attention of hundreds of onlookers would normally frighten the normal human being,
but this isolated musician never stopped radiating with intensity. After a few songs on his own, Devendra
was joined once again by his skillful partners. The three effortlessly playing in perfect harmony with each
other for over an hour, proving this audience definitely received the $25 show
they paid for.

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